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FAQ’s

On-Campus Programs

Admission for Residential Programs

  • Faculty directly select prospective student for admission and assistantship.
  • A faculty member can only bring in a new student If the faculty member:
    • Has a research project beginning or space on a current project.
    • Can commit to serving as major professor.
    • Has assistantship funding available for the prospective student.
  • Prospective students should reach out to faculty in the department via email. You should introduce yourself, attach your CV, and explain how your research interests and career goals align with the faculty members area of research.
  • It is recommended you research each faculty member and narrow down the few faculty members whose research aligns with yours.
  • You can locate faculty in the department, sortable by discipline, in the Agronomy Department Directory

The residential programs in the Agronomy department are experiential. In addition to coursework, students participate on a research project. The time commitment for the research project is 10-20 hours per week, year-round. The agronomy department believes that It is only fair that students who are expected to perform research functions are compensated for their efforts through an assistantship.

Students who have been awarded a Fulbright scholarship, or a limitednumber of other scholarships/fellowships may be admitted without an assistantship depending on the terms of the scholarship/fellowship.

The department does not track which faculty members might have potential student openings. Potential openings are determined by research projects, funding, prior commitments and current student graduation –all of which are overseen by individual faculty.

It is not uncommon for prospective students to begin contacting faculty a year prior to the term they are seeking admission.

Only prospective students with a faculty commitment can be admitted. If you are unable to obtain a faculty commitment, it should not be viewed as a negative reflection of your credentials. It is common for many faculty members to not accept new students for several academic semesters in a row due to funding or having already committed their time to current students.

  • You should not apply without a faculty commitment.
  • If you apply without a faculty commitment, your application will remain on file for 2 semesters.
  • No admissions decision will be determined for applicants without a faculty commitment unless a faculty commitment is obtained.
  • The application fee is nonrefundable

There is no set number of admissions a year. The number of students a faculty member can admit a year is determined by grant funding, current or future research projects, and the availability to serve as major professor.

The Agronomy department does not waive the application fee. The application fee is $100.00 for international students and $60.00 for domestic students. The application fee is nonrefundable.

There is no strict deadline. However, students that receive a commitment from a faculty member should apply and submit all of their admissions materials promptly. The department urges prospective students who have secured a faculty commitment to have their application submitted 6 months prior to the term they are seeking admission.

At this time, self-funded students are not being accepted.

At this time, we are not accepting applications for non-thesis residential students.

The GRE is required for the residential Plant Breeding program.

Assistantships

Refer to the FAQ on Admissions.

  • Masters students may receive a ¼ -½ time assistantship with a current stipend rate of:
    • ¼ time: $15,000 per year
    • ½ time: $30,000 per year.
  • PhD Students receive a ½ time assistantship with a current stipend rate of $30,000 per year.
  • Masters students typically receive a minimum 50% tuition scholarship and PhD students receive a 100% tuition scholarship.
  • Fee’s are typically not paid for by an assistantship and are the responsibility of the student.
  • Students on assistantship are assessed in-state tuition.
  • Students on assistantship are provided health insurance. More information can be located here.

Agronomy faculty are expected to fund their assistants for the duration of their program (2-5 years depending on degree). Students may lose their assistantship if placed on academic probation or are dismissed from the program. Funding may run out if a student does notgraduate in a timely manner.

Funding

  • Residential graduate students in the Agronomy department are expected to be funded via an assistantship.
  • The Agronomy department scholarships can be located here.
  • The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences offers a number of scholarships.
  • The Graduate College offers a number of scholarships.

Online Agronomy

Admissions for Online Agronomy Program

  • The pre-screening process used to gather letters of recommendation and transcripts is located here.
  • Your pre-application is reviewed to determine if prerequisites are met with noapplication fee.
  • The admission prerequisites are listed here.
  • Once all admission requirements are met, a recommendation to submit an application to the Graduate College at Iowa State University is offered.
    • A nonrefundable application fee is required
    • Your application will remain active for 2 semesters
  • Once you submit an application, it may take up to two weeks for final approval from the Graduate College

Fall entry = April 1st. Spring Entry = October 1st.

A faculty commitment is not required before admission

The Agronomy department does not waive the application fee. The application fee is $100.00 for international students and $60.00 for domestic students. The application fee is nonrefundable

The GRE is not required.

  • The Certificate in Agronomy is coursework only.
  • The MS in Agronomy requires a creative component project.

There is no set number of admissions per year.

Funding for Online Agronomy

  • Online programs do not have the same financial support for graduate students as on-campus programshave.
  • The Agronomy department scholarships can be located here.
  • The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences offers a number of scholarships.
  • The Graduate College offers a number of scholarships.
  • A searchable database of privately funded scholarships is on the ISU Financial Aid Website.
  • FastWeb is a free searchable scholarship database.

Online Plant Breeding

Admissions for Online Plant Breeding

  • The admission prerequisites are listed here.
  • Submit applications to the Graduate College at Iowa State University on this site.
  • A nonrefundable application fee is required.
  • Your application will remain active for 2 semesters.
  • Once you submit an application, it may take up to two weeks for final approval from the Graduate College.

There is no strict deadline. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis.

A faculty commitment is not required before admission.

The Agronomy department does not waive the application fee. The application fee is $100.00 for international students and $60.00 for domestic students. The application fee is nonrefundable.

The GRE is not required.

  • Most students in the MS in Plant Breeding online program submit a creative component.
  • The Certificate in Breeding for Organic Crops is coursework only.

Please find admission information here.

There is no set number of admissions per year.

Funding for Online Plant Breeding

  • Online programs do not have the same financial support for graduate students as on-campus programs have.
  • The Agronomy department scholarships can be located here.
  • The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences offers a number of scholarships.
  • The Graduate College offers a number of scholarships.
  • A searchable database of privately funded scholarships is on the ISU Financial Aid Website.
  • FastWeb is a free searchable scholarship database.